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Channeling: A Non-pathological Possession and Dissociative Identity Experience or Something Else?
Luciano Pederzoli1, Patrizio Tressoldi2, Helané Wahbeh3
1EvanLab, Florence, Italy.
Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry
|July 2, 2021
Summary
Channeling experiences are typically non-pathological dissociative phenomena, distinct from severe mental disorders. Further research is needed to determine if channeling originates from the channeler
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Parapsychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Channeling experiences are frequently compared to Dissociative Trance/Possession Disorders and Dissociative Identity Disorders.
- Recent diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5 and ICD-11 provide frameworks for comparison.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize channeling as either an exceptional non-ordinary mental experience or a non-pathological dissociative state.
- To investigate the origin of information received during channeling experiences.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of channeling with established diagnostic criteria for dissociative disorders.
- Exploration of potential origins: channeler's unconscious, voluntary mechanisms, or external entities.
Main Results:
- Most channeling experiences can be classified as non-pathological dissociative phenomena.
- Channeling presents a unique opportunity for scientific investigation into the source of received information.
Conclusions:
- Channeling is best understood as a non-ordinary mental experience or a non-pathological dissociative trance.
- Understanding the origin of channeled information requires further scientific inquiry into the channeler's mental processes and potential external influences.
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